FURTHER EXPLANATION OF OUR BELIEFS
THE SCRIPTURES
The Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired by God, the written revelation from God to man. The Bible is our guideline of faith and practice for the flourishing of humanity.
(2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 1:21)
ONE TRUE GOD
The Father
The first person of the Trinity who has created all things for His glory and honor, through His love and grace. While He is transcendent, He is also actively involved in His creation—offering an eternal relationship with us through His Son, Jesus Christ. (Matthew 6:9; John 5:19-24; Ephesians 1:3-6; 2:1-10)
The Son
The second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God. Jesus is the image of the invisible God and announced the Gospel, the good news of the coming of the Kingdom, into which we are freely invited. The Scripture declares his virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His death on the cross, His bodily resurrection from the dead, and His exaltation to the right hand of God the Father.
(Hebrews 7:26; Acts 2:22; Acts 10:37-38; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 28:1-6)
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is given to all believers to empower us to share what God has done for us. The Holy Spirit fills, baptizes, guides, and comforts us. The fruit of the Spirit are the by-product of a Spirit-filled life and evidence of spiritual maturity. The gifts of the Spirit are different manifestations of the Spirit to build up the body. We are instructed to diligently seek the gifts, but they must be exercised in an orderly way in the context of love. (Acts 1:8; 2:1; Matthew 4:1; Romans 8:14; Ephesians 5; Romans 8:9; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11; 1 Corinthians 14:26-33; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
HUMANITY
Man was created in the image of God. However, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their sin had several consequences: First, they were sent from the Garden of Eden, next a curse was pronounced on them and all their descendants, the process of physical death began, and man died spiritually. Sin separated humankind from God and left us in a fallen or sinful condition. (Genesis 2-3; Romans 5:12-19; Ephesians 2:11-18, Romans 3:23)
SALVATION
But God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to save the world. The only means of salvation is Jesus Christ. He died on the cross to pay the penalty of our sins. When we put our faith in Christ, it triggers a spiritual reaction: We become the temple of the Holy Spirit, we are given eternal life, we become children of God, our sins are forgiven and forgotten, and we are born of His Spirit. (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; John 14:6; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 6:19; Galatians 4:4-7)
When asked the way to the Father, Jesus replied, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me.” We gain access to God and His grace through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. Eternal life is a gift. We are saved by grace through faith, and even our faith is a gift of God. (Romans 5:1-8; Romans 6:26; Ephesians 2:8-9)
THE KINGDOM
God is at work in the world, making all things new. He invites us to join Him in this work of renewal on earth. We are instructed to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and to pray that His Kingdom would come and His will would be done on earth as it is in heaven. The signs of His kingdom coming are salvation, joy, peace, justice, God’s presence, and healing. (Matthew 6:9-13; Matthew 6:33; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; Revelation 21:5)
THE CHURCH
All who place their faith in God through His Son, Jesus Christ, are a part of the universal body of believers known as the Church. The purpose of the local church is to lead people to Christ and bring them to maturity in Him. Members of the local church are to live lives in humble submission to other Spirit-led believers and to the God-appointed leaders of the church. (Hebrews 10:24-25; Acts 2:41- 47; 1 Corinthians 12-14; Matthew 28:18-20; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
NONESSENTIALS
There will always be nonessential doctrines upon which committed followers of Jesus disagree, but on the above essentials we agree. While GraceLand may hold positions on these nonessentials, we will not allow these doctrines to cause division within the church. We will accept into our body those who have differing views on the nonessential doctrines but will not allow those of a different opinion to fracture the church.
*GraceLand Church works in voluntary cooperative fellowship with The Tennessee Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God. GraceLand Church also partners with the Church Multiplication Network and many other wonderful compassion and missions organizations throughout the world.